Keeping Up
by gpark511
Summary: Morgan gets a lot more than he bargained for when he goes for an early morning workout in the office gym...
1. Chapter 1

**Inspired by a deleted scene found on youtube**

**Morgan gets a lot more than he bargained for when he goes for an early morning workout in the office gym...**

It was barely 6am and still dark outside. Emily Prentiss pulled her gym bag off her shoulder and held it in one hand as she pushed open the door to the gym at her building with the other. The place was deserted and most of the lights were still off. After quickly changing in the locker room into black track pants, a tight black vest and trainers, she made her way back to the gym and started her workout. She didn't much care for the gym; she much preferred to take a run out on the street or in the park. But in the middle of winter with the streets covered in snow she didn't have much of a choice. She began on the treadmill, setting the speed and incline to give her a good run. With her mp3 player on and the headphones in, she was oblivious to the arrival of another person.

When Derek Morgan entered the gym he didn't expect to find anyone else there as he usually had the place to himself until at least 7am. So the surprise was written all over his face when he spotted his partner running on the treadmill on the other side of the gym. She hadn't noticed him yet so he set down his bag and sauntered over to her. Derek had warmed to Emily immediately when she joined his team. She had proven herself a good profiler and a reliable partner. But on top of that she was smart, beautiful and funny. Though he would never admit it, if they weren't partners and working on the same team, he would want a whole different kind of relationship with her. But things weren't different and he had to keep his feelings to himself.

As he approached, he didn't intend to surprise her and he certainly didn't expect her to react the way she did when she noticed she wasn't alone. Emily was focused on her run, listening to her music and keeping her eyes straight ahead. She didn't hear his soft footsteps approaching and didn't realise she wasn't alone until Derek appeared suddenly at her side. Surprised, she gasped then missed a step and before she could stop herself she lost her footing completely and tumbled backwards, falling right off the back of the treadmill, landing in a heap on the padded mat behind her.

Morgan reacted but not fast enough. He reached out for Emily but she spilled back and fell onto the mat before he could do anything about it.

"Emily, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He said, holding back a little laugh. She was sprawled out on the mat glaring at him with her deep brown eyes but to him she still looked beautiful. Blowing a puff of air up, she dislodged her bangs from her eyes.

"Shut up and give me a hand." She thrust her hand forward and Morgan grasped it, pulling her back to her feet.

"You okay?" he asked, casting his eyes over her for signs of injury.

"I'm fine. But you scared the hell out of me Morgan." She lightly punched his arm and moved past him to retrieve her mp3 player which had landed at the side of the treadmill. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I'm always here this early."

"Working on your strong sexy core I suppose." She teased.

"So you've noticed huh?" he patted his six-pack through his t-shirt.

"Don't flatter yourself." She rolled her eyes and started to walk away.

"You're not done already are you?" Morgan called after her.

"Why? Scared to be her alone?" Emily asked as she turned and took a few backwards steps so she could face him while she spoke.

"Please." he walked after her. "Come on, I could use the company."

"No, you want an audience." She laughed.

"You just know you can't keep up with me." He baited her.

"Oh really." She stopped moving backwards and instead, took a few steps towards him, her hands planted on her hips. Everyone on the BAU team brought something to the table and though not all about it, Morgan was definitely the brawn. Since Emily joined the team, she had kept up with him. She could chase down suspects, kick down doors and she knew how to handle herself in a fight. It's why they worked so well together.

"If you don't, you take me to dinner. I could really go for a steak."

"And if I do?" Emily asked as she came to stand in front of him. She wasn't sure what she was getting herself into but she liked Morgan, perhaps a little too much. She enjoyed their banter, teasing and flirting, though worried sometimes that it would go too far and they would do something they might come to regret.

"Anything you want, Princess."

"Anything?" she asked, licking her lips. "Okay, I'm in."

And so the battle began. They started with a run on the treadmill, matching each others speed and incline for twenty minutes. Both were sweating and breathless when they came off but neither wanted to concede. Next came stomach crunches. Morgan had once bragged to Emily about doing a thousand sit-ups a day but he was now regretting that when after just a few hundred he was feeling the burn but Emily was still with him.

"Ready to give up?" she asked him as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, ignoring the burning in her abdomen from the intense workout.

"Hell no." He responded immediately, "We got one more." He told her. "Hand to hand, first to three wins overall." At this, Emily figured she was bound to lose. Morgan was just too big and strong for her to overpower. But she wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"What are you waiting for then?" she grinned and jumped to her feet. "Bring it on stud."

Now Emily had taken a lot of self defence classes as well as FBI training on hand to hand combat so she had a good idea of what she needed to do. But as soon as Morgan made his first move, she went down, flat on her back, taken completely off guard by his sweep. He loomed above her, grinning.

"Come on Prentiss, you gotta at least try." He laughed. Annoyed, Emily scrambled back to her feet and after a few swift and well placed kicks, she clipped Derek's legs and sent him flying onto the mat.

"Nice move." He complimented her. "But this isn't over." After getting back to his feet, Morgan managed to grab Emily's arm and twisted it behind her back. Wrapping his other arm around her front he had her in a tight grip, her back pressed against his chest. He held her for just a moment, then released. When Emily turned around she looked a little pissed.

"That's two for me." He laughed. "I can already taste that steak."

"Don't get cocky Morgan." Emily warned him. "I might still have a few tricks up my sleeve." She lunged towards Morgan and for a few minutes the pair exchanged fair blows and kicks. Emily got the feeling Morgan was going easy on her and it spurred her on to prove she could take him. But as she stepped up her game, Morgan took advantage of a mistimed kick and grabbed her ankle. In one swift move he flipped her and she landed flat on her back. Momentarily stunned, she didn't have time to move out of his way before he straddled her body and pinned her arms at either side of her head. Leaning forward until he was just a few inches from her face he whispered in a low husky voice,

"That's three. Game over."

Emily stared into his eyes and her resolve to try and get out of the hold melted away. She let her body relax and for just a few seconds, enjoyed being in this intimate position with her partner. While she knew they could never take their friendship further, she could enjoy the small moments they had where both knew there was more to it.

"Fine. You win." She conceded with a sigh. Morgan released her wrists and sat up but he didn't move from on top of her.

"I can't wait for that steak dinner. Where are you taking me?" he waggled his eyebrows.

"I won't be taking you anywhere unless you get off of me." She grunted. He laughed and stood up, then extended his hand down to help Emily. As she grasped his hand rightly he hoisted her to her feet with ease.

"So Prentiss, when and where?" he asked. Realising she would now be having dinner alone with Morgan, Emily decided she could use this to her advantage and get some personal time to enjoy his company, away from the prying eyes of her colleagues. She was well aware that Garcia, JJ and even Reid thought there was something more between them than just being friends and colleagues, and that made spending time alone together difficult as they always had to explain themselves.

"Saturday. My place. 7 o'clock and don't be late." She smiled flirtatiously then turned on her heels leaving Morgan alone in the middle of the gym with a stunned look on his face. A private dinner at Emily's house was not what he expected when he walked into the gym that morning but he was not complaining, not one little bit.

**Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Inspiration struck and my reviewers asked for it so here is a second chapter.**

**A private dinner between two agents takes an unexpected turn...**

Saturday had come quicker than Emily had anticipated. As soon as she got off work on Friday she headed to the store to stock up on supplies for dinner. Morgan had wanted a steak dinner so she picked up two beautiful steaks at the butchers counter. She spent Friday night cleaning and making sure her home was perfect as she wanted to make a good impression. On Saturday morning she rose earlier and prepared the food she could in advance. Then she hit the gym to work off some of the nervous energy she had been carrying around all week. By late afternoon she was getting ready and surprised herself at the effort she was putting in. She did her nails and spent more time on her hair than she did in a whole week. She even spent time picking the right dress. She never thought about what to wear at work. It was always black pants and a shirt or t-shirt depending on the activity. Tonight though, she was having dinner with Morgan and she couldn't decide whether to dress up or keep it casual.

It was almost 7pm on Saturday when Morgan arrived at Emily's door. He was a little early but he couldn't wait any longer. All week they had kept their dinner a secret from the team because it would only lead to questions neither wanted to answer, but they had exchanged flirtatious glances and he was nervous that their behaviour would be picked up on by the others. He was thankful when the week ended without any new case to drag them away and he could head home.

Raising his hand Morgan knocked on Emily's door three times, then waited...and waited. He knew she hadn't forgotten as just the day before she had asked if he was allergic to anything so she didn't accidentally poison him. Just as he was about to knock again he heard some scuffling then the door swung open. Emily stood before him looking radiant in a deep purple v-neck knee length dress with capped sleeves. Emily stared at Morgan for a moment longer than necessary. He was dressed head to toe in black, from his black leather jacket to the black shirt and black pants. He always looked good in black.

"My mom taught me to never turn up empty handed." He smiled and handed her a delicate bouquet of lilies which brought a smile to Emily's face. He had picked them up on the way over, remembering he overheard her tell JJ they were her favourite flowers several weeks ago.

"I love lilies. Thank you." She replied as she accepted the bouquet and stepped aside to let Morgan in. "Come in, I'll go put these in water."

Morgan followed Emily down the hall to her kitchen. Once inside he could smell the dinner she was cooking and it smelled good. Then he noticed the two large porterhouse steaks on the counter, ready and waiting to be grilled.

"Steak." He smiled.

"It's what you wanted." She replied while she located a vase for the flowers and set about cutting the stems and arranging the flowers in the vase. Morgan slipped off his jacket and took a seat on one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar.

"Wine?" Emily asked. Her nerves had kicked in and she worried her voice would give her away if she spoke more than one or two words. Morgan nodded and she poured him a glass of red from the bottle she had already opened. She had already had a glass (and a half) earlier when her nerves threatened to get the better of her. She didn't know what she was letting herself in for and that scared her.

She set about finishing dinner and cooking the steaks and Morgan kept the conversation going. He could sense she was a little unsure about having him in her home so he wanted to put her at ease. When their dinner was almost ready Emily told Morgan to go ahead and take a seat at the dining table. She had already set the table and though she rarely used it herself, she figured Morgan would want to eat his dinner off a table and not a tray on her couch. The effort she had put in was not overlooked by Morgan. He saw the red placemats set opposite each other, the silver crockery and the two red candles in the middle of the table and smiled. It looked like a very romantic setting.

"Have a seat." She told him. "I'll be right back with our dinner." She turned on her heels and disappeared back to the kitchen. Morgan settled into one of the large oak chairs. He had to admit the Emily Prentiss he was seeing tonight was very different to the woman he knew from work. He had always imagined a fridge covered in take-out menus and a well used microwave. But her home looked well lived in and well cared for, despite the amount of time she spent away from it. Emily returned a few minutes later with two plates in her hands. After placing one down in front of Morgan she set her own down and gracefully took the seat opposite him.

"Bon appetite." She smiled.

Thirty minutes later and after a surprisingly easy conversation on their shared interest in literature, Kurt Vonnegut aside, both their plates were empty and Morgan leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

"That was amazing Emily." He grinned. "I had no idea you were such a great cook."

"I don't cook much." She shrugged. "It's not the same when it's just you, you know."

"Yeah." Morgan nodded. Making a dinner was a lot of effort when there was no-one else to appreciate it.

"Why don't you grab a seat in the lounge while I clear this."

"Hey, you cooked, the least I can do is help you clean." He told her as he picked up his own plate and started towards the kitchen. Emily watched him for a moment, wondering how some lucky woman had not already snapped him up.

In the kitchen, Emily stood at the sink washing the dishes with Morgan at her side, drying them. She felt momentarily uneasy at how natural it seemed for her and Morgan to be doing this. They operated like a well oiled machine, just like they did at work. Suddenly she felt a wet spot on her arm. When she looked up, Morgan was laughing as he blew soap bubbles at her from the plate he held.

"Morgan." She playfully scolded.

"Sorry." He replied laughing. A moment later he felt a wet patch on his cheek and turned to see Emily laughing, with a dollop of soap bubbles in her hand.

"Oh, it's on baby." He lunged at her and grabbed a handful of bubbles from the bowl in the sink but before he could do anything, Emily pressed both her bubble filled hands against his cheeks. He reacted immediately and grabbed her wrists, pulling her close to him. For a moment the two were locked in an intense stare then suddenly, Morgan let go of her hands, realising things were moving in a direction he wasn't sure they should be taking.

"I think these are done." Emily gasped. "Coffee?" she asked, making an excuse to move away from the handsome profiler. As they separated, the atmosphere slowly returned to normal and Morgan chatted away as she made the coffee.

Fifteen minutes later the pair had moved into the lounge. Emily stood by the CD player and looked for some music to play. Coffee was in a cafetiere on the table brewing and Morgan was relaxing on the couch, his arm stretched across the back.

Emily finally found the CD she wanted, slipped it in and pressed play. The sound of smooth jazz began to fill the room as Emily took a seat next to Morgan. They both felt the awkwardness of the moment. To Emily, it was reminiscent of a blind date when you run out of things to talk about.

"I didn't figure you for a jazz fan Emily." Morgan finally broke the silence.

"It makes for good background music, it isn't distracting."

"And it's good to dance to." Morgan smirked.

"Sounds like you've been to a jazz club or two." She smiled. "Is that one of your date hot-spots?"

"You got me." He laughed. "The ladies love to dance."

"Not me." Emily shook her head.

"Come on, you're kidding right?"

"No. I'm probably the most uncoordinated woman you will ever meet."

"I don't believe that." Morgan smiled and began to stand up.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going to dance and I'm going to prove that anyone can do it, no matter how uncoordinated they think they are." He extended his hand down and Emily looked at it warily. Finally she slipped her hand into his and he pulled her to her feet.

A moment later he took her into his arms and he could tell immediately she was not used to dancing. She was stiff and standing too far from him.

"Come on, you gotta loosen up a little Prentiss." He told her.

"Sorry, I don't dance." She reiterated.

"Here." He took one of her hands and moved it so it rested on his shoulder. With his hand on her waist and the other holding her hand, he pulled her closer to him and began to sway. Emily suddenly burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She giggled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ears.

"You could give a man a complex you know that." He told her. "Just relax and go with the beat." He pulled her in close and slid his hand round from her waist to her back. They moved together, slow and close for several minutes, their bodies moving in time to the music. Then Emily made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. He was staring at her with a look she had only seen a glimpse of once before, at the gym earlier that week. She couldn't tear her eyes away and found herself leaning closer and tilting her head up. At the same time Morgan leaned down and before either realised what was happening, their lips met in a soft and gently kiss. Morgan began to deepen the kiss and lifted one hand to cradle the back of her head. Emily responded to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling their bodies together. Suddenly, Morgan's cell began to ring and it snapped the two back to reality. They flew apart, unable to look at each other, awash with embarrassment. The Emily heard her cell ringing on the coffee table.

"It's probably work." Emily mumbled as she raised her hand to her lips, finding them swollen from Morgan's kiss.

"Uh, yeah." Morgan replied. "I should get that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell and answered. Emily picked hers up off the coffee table and moved into the kitchen to take it. She had been right. It was JJ calling to tell her she was needed at work for an urgent case. Morgan must have got the same news from Hotch.

"So, we're needed at the office." She said, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Yeah, I can drive if you'd like. I only had two glasses."

"Okay, great. Just let me get changed first." She said. But as she moved to leave, Morgan grabbed her arm.

"Emily." His voice was low and quiet. She turned and finally looked at him, her eyes wide with the shock of what the two had just done.

"Uh, about the uh..." he stammered. Emily had never seen Morgan stammer his words before.

"Yeah, I know. We should..."

"It's best that we...I mean we can't..." Neither wanted to say it was a mistake and that they shouldn't have done it as neither felt that way. But they knew it couldn't happen again and though their words didn't say so, they both knew that was what had to happen.

"I'll be changed in a couple of minutes." She told him as he dropped her arm and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He couldn't help but wonder if he had just ruined everything with Emily. He didn't mean to kiss her. He hadn't planned to kiss her. It had just happened. All he knew was that he couldn't let himself be in a similar position again as he didn't know if he could restrain himself. He had previously kept his attraction to her in check but now that he had taken it that step further, his feelings were running wild.

When Emily walked to her bedroom to change, she had to stop and take a moment to catch her breath. It had been a long time since someone had kissed her like that. There was so much passion, so much desire. She felt wanted and by someone unexpected. She knew she was attracted to him but she was never sure he was as attracted to her. But he started the kiss, he deepened it, and they only stopped because of the phone calls. She wondered what might have happened if they hadn't been called to work and was surprised at the rising feelings of disappointment. Had she lost her chance?

**Reviews are always appreciated...**


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